Forêt d'argent
Forêt d'argent is the title of the twenty-fourth chapter of Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas. Summary Jeanne is greeted by a shadowed figure who urges her to use her fangs, claws, and flames, stating that there is no time remaining. In the present, Noé and Vanitas, accompanied by Dante and Johann, make their way to Gévaudan. Although Noé assumed that the dhampirs followed after them out of interest in solving the mystery behind the Beast of Gévaudan, Dante quickly corrects him, stating that dhampirs care only about information that leads to collecting money, not what happens to vampires or humans, much to Noe's surprise. However, Vanitas suspects that the pair has a motive beyond gathering information. Once they arrive at their destination, the quartet find themselves rebuffed by the locals in their attempt to acquire a guide into the Silver Forest. Hearing the outsiders' plans, a pair of children confront them, asking Vanitas if they had come to kill the Beast and revealing that members from the church had arrived earlier also seeking a guide into the forest. The elder of the children warns that they should stay away from the Silver Forest as a terrible witch lives there. Ignoring the warnings, the four venture into the forest where Dante mentions his surprise that Vanitas and Noé had not parted ways after their earlier tension at the hotel. The comments lead to a spat between Dante and Vanitas, during which the latter warns Johann to keep Noé within sight as the vampire is prone to disappearing... but the warning comes too late: while chasing after his fallen hat, Noé had already separated from the group. During this separation, the turning of gears cause the scenery to shift, and the travelers suddenly find themselves blanketed in snow. Vanitas, weak to cold, freezes and stops breathing, sending Johann and Dante into a panic. While moving Vanitas, the dhampirs notice a troop of soldiers on their way to hunt the Beast of Gévaudan with the purpose of presenting it to "His Majesty" in Versailles. Meanwhile, one of the soldiers is in the midst of delivering a report regarding a suspicious group claiming to be with the church to a Monsieur Antoine. Hearing this, Dante expresses his confusion about the state of the soldiers' dress and what king they meant. Vanitas, now thawed, observes that in the eighteenth century, King Louis XV sent his dragoons to investigate the incident with the Beast and that Antoine was the king's first Gun-Bearer. Dante nervously replies that Vanitas' explanation makes it seem like they have wounded up in the past... In the distance, a wolf howls, and Vanitas finds himself being observed by the eyes of a large beast. Noé and Murr, startled by the howls, run in search of the rest of their group, only to find themselves caught in the midst of Astolfo slaughtering the dragoons. Seeing that the corpses do not turn to ash, Noe' is in shock, questioning why a Chasseur would murder other humans. At that moment, the Beast of Gévaudan appears, towering over the forest, and attacks the dragoons. At the Beast's call, the wolves of the forest join in attacking everyone in the forest. Dante attempts to aid a fallen dragoon but is stopped by Johann, causing the man to be devoured by a wolf. While being fending off the wolves, Vanitas attempts to decipher the Malnomen who could cause such events such as traveling into the past and the creation of the Beast but is unable to and curses Noé's disappearance at such an inconvenient time. He stumbles, but before he can be wounded, Jeanne appears to defend him, causing the Beast to momentarily freeze and stutter her name... Characters * Noé * Murr * Vanitas * Dante * Johann * Astolfo * Dominique de Sade * Monsieur Antoine * Louis XV * The Beast of Gévaudan }} Terms Locations *Paris *Clermont-Ferrand *Gévaudan **Saugues **The Silver Forest *Versailles }} Gallery VNC - Jeanne past.png|Jeanne in her past 24_witch_back.png|The Witch of the Silver Forest 24_snow1.png|Lost in the snow 24_dragoons.png|Dragoons 24_meeting.png|Noé encounters Astolfo 24_defend.png|Jeanne appears Trivia * Alternate Title: Chance Encounter * "Forêt d'argent" is French for "Silver Forest." * "Monsieur Antoine" was a historical figure known as Antoine de Beauterne who served as Gun-Bearer to King Louis XV of France. He was responsible for hunting and killing the actual Beast of Gévaudan. Navigation Category:The Case Study of Vanitas Category:Manga Category:Chapters